Experience Outranks Everything
by SnipsSkywalker
Summary: Ahsoka Tano is eager to fight, but nothing will prepare her for the horrors of war.  It is a bloody thing...and some wounds leave you scarred for life. This young Padawan will grow up on the field of battle.  Chapter 5 is up!
1. Chapter 1

**I was watching the clone wars premiere a few weeks ago, and something hit me. Ahsoka grew up so fast **_**in just a year and a half**_**. And people don't just mature like that. There had to be a reason **_**why.**_** So this is it…how she grew up so darn fast. This battle is, for Ahsoka, what the battle of Jabiim was for Anakin. And I'm open to suggestions!**

**Chapter One**

Anakin's POV

I played the recording of my former master calmly calling for help over and over again. He was smiling faintly…_smiling_.  
>"Hello. If anyone receives this, most of my troops have been over-run. I have less than half of my men left, and I'm outnumbered and rather desperate."<p>

_Yeah, and you look like you got run over by a landspeeder, _I thought, noticing the blood smeared across his face and the blaster holes through his torn robes. He looked _terrible. _

"Re-enforcements might be nice, if you get the chance, and you'd need quite a lot of them. Oh dear, it looks like the Separatists have found us. Let me rephrase that. Re-enforcements might be _very_ nice. Kenobi out." He ignited his lightsaber and turned to face whatever was assaulting him, and the transmission fizzled out.

I had to rescue him… yet again. I was about to rewind it and watch it again, but no, I couldn't dwell on that. I had enough tormenting me already… I needed something to distract me. Military briefings. They required all my attention and were useful besides. So I pulled out a datapad and got to the wonderfully consuming task of reviewing locations, statistics, anything to put off my troubles for as long as I possibly could.

…..

He looked so tired, I didn't want to wake him up. I had no idea how late he had stayed up last night, but I knew this wasn't the first time. Or the second. Or the third. Or the fourth. Yep, my master had, yet again, fallen asleep over another one of those boring military briefings. He'd been so exhausted lately…studying enemy tactics and possible locations of Separatist military leaders until early morning hours. He'd probably have been going over the stuff for _this _mission too… if we'd had any. I honestly didn't think he got any sleep at all. I shook him gently, but he didn't move a muscle.

"Hey master?" I whispered. No response. "Hey master!" A little louder. Still nothing.  
>"Wake <em>up<em>, Skyguy!" I almost yelled, shaking him hard. He groaned and sat up. 

"I don't believe I ordered a wake-up call, my Padawan." He said tiredly. I grinned. 

"Well you just got one anyways, free of charge!" He nodded drowsily. 

"C'mon master, you have to get up." I said, a little more seriously. "Admiral Yularen and Rex want you at the bridge, and we're approaching Xalathus in minutes." He stretched out his arms and stood up. 

"Well I guess I'm awake, like it or not." He eyed the datapad on his cot with some distaste, noting the drool on the screen.  
>"Snips… you won't…uh…tell Rex about <em>that<em> will you?" I giggled. 

"My lips are sealed, Skyguy. Now come on!" I grabbed his hand and led him out the door of his quarters, as he used his other hand to rub his eyes. They still had dark circles under them, and he looked none-too-happy about being dragged out of bed. I really felt bad, having to get him up like that. He's an amazing Jedi and General in the GAR, but right then the only thing he looked like was in need of a serious nap.

When we got to the bridge, Rex and Yularen were already examining a holoprojector. 

"General Skywalker. You're late." Admiral Yularen said crisply. I sighed to myself. No-one ever notices the Padawan. 

"I slept in. So what's the problem? " My master said, yawning. 

"Well General…it's just that we don't know much of _anything_ about the enemy and numbers we're facing." Rex said, getting straight to the point. "We know the terrain and the original numbers and statistics of the enemy troops on the planet from General Kenobi's earlier reports, but we know nothing about the enemy's current statistics or positions, only that they are currently numerous enough to have overrun the General's forces. We've got as many troops as the GAR can spare onboard our cruisers, but…" The captain's voice trailed off.

Anakin nodded "So we're flying in blind." If I hadn't already suspected this, it would've been pretty shocking. Master Kenobi sent a distress call while we were just wrapping up affairs on Arridus-well, Master Skywalker treated it like a distress call. It was actually more of a report- giving his position on the planet and us that he was "outnumbered and rather desperate" and that "Re-enforcements might be nice, if you get the chance." Very calmly, of course. Typical Master Kenobi. Since we had received the distress signal in the first place, and we were nearby his system, the council gave us permission to re-enforce him and sent us extra troops. We were just hoping they'd be enough and, like Master Skywalker said, flying in blind. 

"Pretty much, yes." Admiral Yularen agreed ruefully.  
>"Well…we can make this work." Anakin said, trying to be optimistic. <p>

"At least we have the element of surprise!" I agreed. "We can do this!" I really didn't know whether we could do it or not, but my master says if you're confident about things, others will become confident as well. I didn't think they were buying it though. 

"Well I'm glad you think so lil'un." Rex said, chuckling. Skyguy shot me a glance that spelled out "please-don't-interfere-my-very-very-young-padawan." 

_I do wish they'd stop treating me like a youngling!_ I thought angrily. 

"Yes, we may have that, but not much else." Yularen said brusquely. "It's dangerous, going in without any information on the enemy. We can only hope we have enough troops take them. I suggest we transport the General's troops down to the surface while the cruisers engage the Separatist Starfleet above the planet." 

"That's pretty much the only thing we can do." Anakin said under his breath. "When our dear friend General Kenobi didn't care to elaborate on enemy statistics during his transmission." 

"But why," I asked "Why wouldn't he tell us everything we need to _rescue_ him?" 

Everyone was silent. 

"Because it may very well be a trap." Anakin finally said grimly. 

"Yes. Holograms can be faked. Or he may have been forced to make the transmission." The Admiral agreed. "Although we may be incorrect in out assumptions."  
>"But why else would he keep silent?" I asked, knowing it had come to the worst. <p>

"Exactly." Anakin said, taking a deep breath. 

"The question is, what do you intend to do, general?" Rex asked "Should we call off the attack?" 

My master closed his eyes. He looked like he was in agony. I could feel his emotions conflicting, waves cascading through the Force. He wanted so _badly_ to rescue Master Kenobi, but he knew could never put his men in such danger… could he? 

"We're calling off the attack, aren't we master?" I asked him anxiously. 

He bowed his head and his fingers curled into a fist, like he was gripping something slipping out of his hands. 

"No. We're not calling off the attack." He said, his voice hardening. "We're going in as planned." 

"…as you say, General." Rex nodded. He obviously didn't approve of this decision, and neither did Yularen, judging by the look on his face. I didn't know what to think.  
>"Very good. Please notify me when we are approaching the planet. Come on, Ahsoka." He strode out the door, and I followed him. <p>

"Master…? You didn't call off the attack? Thousands of men's _lives_ could be at risk!" I said once we were safely in the hallway, skipping to keep up with his long stride.

"I know." He said distantly. He didn't want to talk about it, I could tell. 

"If it is a trap, is his life worth thousands of others?" I asked him, troubled. "Can you really make that exchange? Isn't it wrong?" 

"I.. I don't know!" He said, his voice suddenly breaking. "I didn't know what to do."  
>I was surprised by this sudden outburst of emotion. He's always so confident about everything he does, like there isn't another option in the galaxy. <p>

"I'm sorry, Master. I shouldn't question your judgment." I apologized. I don't know if he even heard me. 

"I can't abandon him, Ahsoka. I _can't!_ If I leave him there, I'll be tormented because I _could_ have saved him but didn't. If I don't go in now, I'll feel responsible for anything that happens to him." 

"He would understand." I said quietly. "He wouldn't want you to risk so many lives for his sake." 

Anakin sighed, as we reached the door to his quarters. He opened it and was about to step inside, but he stopped and his face softened the tiniest bit. 

"I know, Snips. I think…I need to meditate." However, before he could "meditate" on anything, his commlink beeped. It was Yularen. 

"General Skywalker, we will be exiting hyperspace momentarily." 

"Very good, Adm—" He was cut off by the ship, lurching and exiting hyperspace. A trace of a smile crossed my face as Anakin cleared his throat and stood up straight again. 

"Very good, Admi—" This time, it was Yularen who interrupted him. 

"General, we have an urgent problem." He said crisply "You should see this…"

**Please tell me what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Oh my… slow update on the **_**second chapter**_** :P I was getting angry shouts of 'UPDATE!' so I figured I'd better pull it together and Beta myself ;) And thank you so much to all eight of my reviewers :D So here you go, chapter two! And I hope I wrote Anakin alright. Please let me know what you think of the way I did Anakin! **

**Chapter 2**

Anakin's POV

General, we have an urgent problem...you should see this." Admiral Yularen said, his normally composed voice tinted with worry.

"What is it?" I spat into my commlink, frowning fiercely at it. It wasn't the commlink's fault we had an "urgent problem"… it was mine. But I didn't particularly feel like wallowing in my miserable thoughts at the moment.

"They have an entire armada!" The Admiral's voice was verging on panicked. "We need you on the bridge immediately, General!" I heard the sound of something crashing and a muffled curse. "We are taking fire! I repeat, we are taking heavy fire!"

Suddenly, the entire ship shook with the impact of the enemy's fire. An alarm began to sound loudly and red lights flashed-and we'd only exited hyperspace seconds ago. I saw the worry in my face mirrored on my Padawan's as we exchanged glances.

"I'll be right up." I said hurriedly. I began walking brusquely down the corridor, but soon my stride turned into a run, as the alarms grew louder and louder. Ahsoka had to race to walk beside me, and at the rate I was going, she could barely keep up. But there were other things on my mind, much more important, pressing ones. Had this been a trap laid out for us specifically? For any Jedi? And had I, a General, just sentenced thousands of men, myself, my _padawan _to death? These men had trusted me with their lives. How could I have been so selfish? But at the same time, I knew I could never just _leave_ Obi-Wan. I was torn by my emotions… my duty to my men and my love for my former master. And Ahsoka was no help at all, staring at me with those wide, bright blue eyes, waiting for me to give her an order, tell her what to do next. I couldn't blame her. She was so young. I didn't know what would happen when she finally woke up, when reality dawned on her. I would try to keep her this way as long as I could, so sweet, so eager and inexperienced, though I knew I couldn't protect her from harsh reality forever. But now, my young padawan's expectant gaze only reminded me of how many lives depended on my decisions. So many lives. So so many. All in my hands. And I had failed each and every one of them. But not yet. No, not quite yet. There was still hope for these men. There must be.

I was so lost in thought, I hardly noticed that the ship was breaking apart as I ran. But soon, the Separatist's barrages of fire were impossible to miss. _The Resolute_ shook violently once every few seconds. I was jerked into reality as a particularly large blast jolted the hallway. I grabbed Ahsoka's arm and steadied her, though I was staggering myself.

_Yup, you're some hero, Anakin, _I thought bitterly. _The only thing you can do is save your apprentice from a large bump on the head. Way to go, hotshot._

She smiled widely at me, as if saving her from a large bump on the head was all she needed to make me _her_ hero. She was sweet… and if I didn't know better, I'd say she knew exactly what I was thinking.

"Thanks, Master." She said.  
>I smiled back, though my heart wasn't in it.<p>

"Sure, Snips. Anytime. Now let's get to the bridge before the Admiral gets worried about us. Is it my imagination, or is the trip _back_ taking a little…longer?" She grinned, as another blast shook the ship, and we walked as fast as we possibly could with all the interruptions. When we reached the bridge, the relief on Yularen's face was unmistakable.

"They've taken out most of our weaponry, and our hyperdrive won't stand much more fire." Yularen said grimly.

"Orders, General?" Rex asked expectantly. He had no idea how much I dreaded giving orders, knowing that each word I spoke could mean life or death for my men. When I didn't respond, he cleared his throat.  
>"Should we tell the Starfleet to retreat?"<p>

"Yes." I said quietly. I may have wanted to rescue Obi-Wan more than anything else, but I couldn't sacrifice thousands of men for him. I wasn't stupid. "Tell the fleet to retreat… if they still can." I said.

Both Rex and Yularen looked immensely relieved about this, and the Admiral turned on his comm. But I couldn't hear what he was saying.

I noticed that I was shaking, but I was beyond caring whether it was from the tears threatening to slide down my cheeks, or the anger welling up within me. There was nothing I could do. Nothing. I couldn't go in alone: That would be suicide. I couldn't sacrifice my troops trying to rescue him. It was so unjust… but the galaxy isn't fair. I, of all people, should know that. But when faced with the cruel harshness of it all, it made me so bitter, so angry. And anger is not a Jedi emotion. But I was beyond caring what was Jedi and what was not. My hatred for the whole galaxy was overwhelming. I felt the Force around me… everything was blurred and crystal clear at once. On the outside, I was completely composed. But on the inside I felt weak, terrible…and…powerful. What I was feeling…it was priceless. But horrible at the same time. I felt as if I could do anything. I had tasted this before…once. Only then, I had been consumed by this feeling of absolute hatred. This was barely a touch of what I had felt then. In this state, I remembered it so intensely. Her soft whisper. Her fingers brushing against my cheek. Her last, short breath. And that feeling…the fierce hatred, the inhuman desire to slaughter those Tusken animals.

It was Ahsoka who jerked me out of this horrible, wonderful hatred.  
>"Master." She whispered, putting a hand on my shoulder. "I know, Master…Just stay with us, Okay?" No…she didn't' t know. How could she know? Thank the Force, she did not know this pain.<p>

"Thank you, Ahsoka. You have no idea how much I needed that." I tried for a faint smile, but it came out lopsided. She tried for one too, and hers could have lit up an entire legion. It didn't do me much good, though.

"Bad news, General." Rex informed me, clutching a holo as the ship quaked yet again. _"The Resolute's_ hyperdrive is still functioning, but the others in the fleet haven't been so lucky. _The Arkinian's _and _The Silver Bullet's _hyperdrives are gone, and the ships are falling. Their troops are evacuating in space gunships, and setting down at point 15.932."

That was bad. Very bad. Three quarters of our men were on those two cruisers. And they were landing in enemy territory?

All of a sudden, I realized what I had done. I really had condemned them to death. But I wouldn't just leave them there to die. I knew _The Resolute _couldn't take much more fire. And I knew what I had to do.

**Surprise! It's a cliffhanger. XD**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks to all my readers and reviewers! Chapter 3 is finally up! I guess I'll update this fic once a week or so… because I'm a very busy person :P I do love reviews though, good or bad, so I'd really appreciate it if you'd take the time to let me know how I'm doing!**

**Chapter 3**

Ahsoka's POV

He had that look on his face, the look that meant that he had make his decision and was trying not to think about it. I hated that look.

"Master?" I asked cautiously, dreading his response.

"I'm going in. Alone." Anakin said slowly, sounding like nothing could change his mind. His eyes looked emotionless, almost cold as he gazed at the two officers and me. But he couldn't hide his angst, really. It was radiating in the air, in the Force, and I could almost feel his every thought. "Permission granted to enter hyperspace with _The Resolute _while you still can," He continued emptily. "I do not expect to make it through this, but we haven't lost yet. Those men on Xalathus still have some hope. I will lead them to victory or to death, but I will be with them to the end, because it's my fault that their lives are at stake. If you can, call for re-enforcements, Admiral. But I know that the GAR can't spare any more troops than this…"

I shook my head, not believing it. My mind felt so numb. How could he go in so willingly, knowing that he most likely wasn't going to live through it? The troops on the planet were hopelessly outnumbered, and you wouldn't need a protocol droid to tell you that the chances of survival were slim to none. Of course, I saw why he had to go. His loyalty to his troops was strong, and he would never leave them to die. Not to mention that Master Kenobi was still there, and in need of rescuing. And an explanation from him would have been nice, too. But I couldn't wrap my mind around losing Anakin so suddenly. Wasn't he thinking of the people who loved him? Master Kenobi had been captured…what would happen if he was gone too? I would be another padawan without a master, left alone in the galaxy by the war. He couldn't just… just _go_…and never come back. It seemed so impossible that he might never be there beside me again, smiling happily when I _finally_ did something the right way or brooding quietly about things he wouldn't tell for the galaxy. It didn't matter. It was _him, _and he was a part of me. I couldn't imagine slicing battle droids into pieces without him by my side, his voice patiently telling me not to hold my lightsaber backwards or I might accidentally chop my head off.

Admiral Yularen and Rex seemed to have no such difficulty with my master's decision. They understood perfectly what he had to do, and accepted it. Yularen nodded gravely, and walked slowly over to the opposite side of the bridge to speak to a lieutenant about making transmissions, and how bad the Separatist jamming signals were, and if we were in any shape to call for re-enforcements at all. Rex salute Anakin, and walked off to do something as well. Probably something important, but at the moment, I couldn't care less what he was doing.

"I'm going with you." I told Anakin abruptly. He had a far-away look in his eyes, but quickly snapped back into consciousness when he heard me. I didn't mean it as a question, but he shook his head.

"No, Ahsoka. I can't let you suffer for my decisions." He didn't even give me a choice.

"You're not _letting _me suffer for your decisions! I'm _choosing _to go with you!" I practically shouted. He frowned at me, his angry gaze almost knocking down my wall of hard resolve. Almost. I didn't back down quite that easily.

"No, you're remaining on _The Resolute_ and staying _safe_! You can't die, Ahsoka."

"My life is mine to do what I want with it!" I returned.

He took me by the shoulders, and it seemed that his intense eyes were looking straight into my very soul.

"Look at me, Snips. I'll be back. I promise you, I won't die on that sithspit of a planet. Just wait for me. Don't worry about me, okay? I'll be fine. I _promise._" Yeah, that meant a lot. How did he know what was going to happen? He _didn't._

"If you're so sure nothing's going to happen to you, why are you so worried about me coming with you?" I asked, brushing my eyes to hold back tears.

"You're untrained…inexperienced…" He said slowly, as if he was considering every word before he said it.

"And like Rex says, 'Experience Outranks Everything'" I said bitterly. His lips curled into the faintest inkling of a smile.

"Right. You got it, Snips." I felt his hands leave their comforting place on my shoulders. "I'll be back before you know it. Remember, no reverse grip. You might accidentally chop your head off."

I knew he meant to make me laugh, but I felt like crying. But I was a Jedi. Jedi control their emotions… even when they feel so overwhelmed by them. He took a step back, then mock saluted me, smiling and our eyes met in a silent goodbye. Then he spun around and walked quickly off the bridge, leaving me all alone.

I put my head in my hands, but I made myself hold back the tears.

…_There is no emotion…there is peace…_

I repeated the first precept of the Jedi order in my head over and over again. But the thought of losing him was so much to bear. I felt almost like a Mini-Anakin…but along with that, I finally realized that I couldn't just let him go. I knew he wouldn't be too happy, but I was going in after him whether he wanted me to or not. But I couldn't do it alone.

**How was that little goodbye scene? It was fun to write, at any rate! :P YAY! Erm…I'll try to update faster! *slaps self* That's no excuse for your non-updating behavior! You know, you won't get any followers if you never update, Snips! Now stop talking to yourself, it's a little weird, and you'll probably get even less followers if people see you talking to yourself! **


	4. Chapter 4

"**I'll update once a week!"… yeah, sure I will XD SO SORRY! I am a slowww updater, as you've probably noticed. And more bad news: I won't be updating for a month, because I'm writing a Novel for National Novel Writing Month (starting at 1 tonight!) Enjoy this chapter, though! And if you like (or don't) make sure to review ;)**

**Chapter 4**

Ahsoka's P.O.V.

"Captian!" I shouted, rushing to catch up to Rex. I had made up my mind: I was following Anakin, yes, but I couldn't do it by myself. We had over 1,000 men on this cruiser alone, and I knew for a fact that every single one of them would fight and die for their General, their brave leader. And I really did believe that we could overcome the Seps down there. I couldn't see why Anakin thought it was so hopeless… so far as I could tell, we had as fair chance of taking the planet as the enemy had of holding it.

"Rex!" I yelled urgently.

The clone captain spun around. "Ahsoka?"

"Look, I really think we can do this!" I said breathlessly "No matter what Skyguy says. He isn't right about _everything_, you know. This planet has no strategic value, does it? So the forces on the planet can't be that large. The republic might be thinly spread, but the Seps are even _more_ thinly spread. And besides, there are civilians on Xalathus. They deserve to be liberated…don't they, Captain?"

Rex seemed to consider this for a moment.  
>I don't know, commander. Their blockade is unusually strong for—" The ship shook violently, as if to prove his point.<br>"Yes, but if we can deploy enough troops down to the planet without getting shot down, the rest of the troops down there and the civilians might have a chance." I said.

"General Skywalker would not think it wise," Rex stated. His way of telling me that he didn't feel inclined to go against Anakin's order, for his young _inexperienced_ apprentice. I really hated it when they treated me like I didn't know what I was doing. It was partly true… I sometimes I don't know what I'm doing. But now, I was resolute.

I caught his eye, silently pleading with him to understand my need to disobey a direct order from the general. But of course he understood. He wanted Master Skywalker to survive almost as much as I did.

"…if you think we should risk it, I will accept your judgment, Commander." He finally said reluctantly. I smiled faintly, starting to feel better already.

"Right. Round up the troops, Rex. I'll contact the Admiral and inform him of the change in plans."

I could only hope we'd be enough.

Things weren't looking as bad as I'd suspected they would. Amazingly, the number of troopers who had managed to survive the blockade was larger than I would have even dared hope. And they were currentlysetting up camp. I shook my head, awed at their unnatural efficiency. Only minutes before, they had been escaping a burning cruiser, and now they were _setting up an army camp. _And they were halfway done, too. Of course, it was only to be expected of them. They were created for optimum performance. But That didn't stop me from being slightly shocked.

The second I stepped out of my personal starfighter, I was greeted by a Clone Lieutenant. Kraik, that was his name. At least I thought it was his name. It isn't easy remembering names when your whole army looks alike.

"General Skywalker!" he took off his helmet and saluted, betraying not a trace of the surprise I could sense him hiding behind his unreadable mask. He probably had no idea what I was doing there. I didn't really know, myself.

I nodded in his direction.

"Lieutenant. What's the status?"

"More than seventy-five percent of the men have survived, General. Thanks to our gunship pilots." He reported. I almost breathed a huge sigh of relief, but checked myself just in time.

"Good," I said, the relief showing in my voice.

"We have sent a reconnaissance team to determine the enemy's exact location and numbers. We…expect to be vastly outnumbered. The men are losing hope, General. Is there any chance that we will survive?" he asked, his crisp demeanor faltering for a split second.

_No. We're all going to die. I'll never see Padme again, never feel her beautiful presence, never tell her how much I love her. She won't know what's become of me… and Ahsoka… left all alone in this bitter war. And Obi-Wan. Where the kriff is Obi-Wan on this kriffing planet? If he isn't dead, he's in terrible pain…he will be dead soon…_

I couldn't stop myself from thinking these bitter thoughts. It was all so hopeless. I felt crushed. Only when I looked on the expectant face of the trooper before me, did I realize that the men were, all of them, feeling the same as I was. No, they needed hope just as badly as I needed it. There must be some way for us to live through this.

I remembered something suddenly, an old saying of Obi-Wan's, one he would spout whenever we were on a particularly challenging mission.

"_If we aren't dead, we're still up and fighting, Anakin. Which means neither of us is giving up. We haven't lost yet."_

Of course, I had probably spat out some sarcastic and totally unnecessary comment, me being me. I never appreciated his "wisdom." But right then, I couldn't be more grateful for Obi-Wan's little lectures. _Thank you, my old master._

I straightened up visibly, and took a deep breath.

"Lieutenant, listen to me. Let all the men, every last one of them know this. It may look terrible for us… kriff, it looks like we're all going to die in the next 24 hours. But I swear to you, as long as one of us stands alive, there is hope. Once every last one of us has been shot down, will we stop fighting. There is _always_ hope. Always. Never forget that."

Kraik nodded, utterly composed on the outside. But I felt his spirits soar on the inside. The trooper saluted once again, replaced his helmet, and sprinted off, most likely to check on the reconnaissance troopers. I knew the message would get across to my men.

I felt engulfed by a sudden desperate feeling, and my head abruptly fell into my hands. I fiercely wanted to believe my own words, but they were hollow, meaningless. My word may be enough for my loyal men, but I could not persuade myself.

I quickly lifted my head up out of my hands. They couldn't see me like this. I would be their fearless general, bravely fighting to the death, never looking back once. But it is one thing, inspiring others: It is another to believe in yourself.

I must keep hoping, for when hope is lost you have nothing left to hold on to. But I couldn't shake this feeling of helplessness… because there was nothing we could do. Nothing but wait, watch, and hope.

**Last update for a while, guys! Again, I'm sorry, but I **_**will **_**have a new chapter up in early December! **


	5. Chapter 5

NaNoWriMo is over! And yes, I did win :) Here's the next chapter, as promised!

I'm 'typing' this on Amanda (my iPod) because Jimmy (my laptop) got taken away, and its slow going and no italics (which I HATE). Grr. And no bold either, if you've noticed. And yes, I do name all of my electronics. XD

Admiral Yularen wasn't happy. At all. In fact, he was rather unhappy.

When I told him of the change in plans, he told me I was reminding him of General Skywalker more and more as my training progressed. Compliment? I don't think it was meant as one.

It's reckless, I know. Something my Master would try to pull, probably. But if I was the one down there, I know he wouldn't just follow orders and do nothing. He's the master. He sets the example. He has only himself to blame, if I rush in there lightsaber blazing and save his life. Or just do something incredibly stupid. Either way, he is to blame.

At least, that's what I'd like to try to tell myself. I am responsible for my own actions, not him.

That is why I'm so nervous, as my gunship approaches the planet.

What if I've made the wrong decision?

But this feels right. And Master Skywalker taught me to always follow my instincts.

"You know the General isn't going to be happy, don't you?" Rex shouted over the noise of the gunship.

"I was actually trying rather hard not to think about that, Captain!" I shouted back.

"Right." He muttered, fiddling with his blaster. "You know how crazy this is, don't you Commander?"

"...yes." I admitted ruefully."But there is no way that he would just leave any of us there, however impossible it was to rescue us. That's the simple truth, Captain."

"That may be true, but is our loyalty to the General go so far that we are willing to take a risk of this size?" Rex asked, speaking slightly more quietly so the other troopers in the gunship would not hear.

"I don't know." I said quietly. It was probably not worth this risk. But I wasn't leaving him for dead, and kriff orders.

The dozens of gunships touched down on the surface of the planet, and the hum of their engines faded. The white-clad troopers began filing out in tens. I saw my master, briskly walking towards me. He didn't look too happy. I had to remind myself to breathe evenly. I couldn't bear to look into his eyes, as I walked up to him. My head was cast downward, but I knew his expression was one of anger, as well as shock.

"Ahsoka? Didn't I tell you not to come after me? I specifically told you not to follow me... and Stang, you brought every trooper onboard every ship we have? Don't you realize how risky that is? You've endangered the lives of so many because of your... I just can't believe you would..." he took a breath to calm himself.

"We aren't going to survive this, but if we somehow make it, you and I are going to have a long talk. For now, I can only hope you made the right decision."

"I only followed my instincts, Master." I said quietly.

It was as if he had not even heard me. He turned to face Rex, who was standing a few feet behind me.

"Captain. Does Admiral Yularen have any more news on the enemy than he had... fifteen minutes ago?"

"Actually no, sir." Rex replied.

Anakin sighed deeply.

"So we're still fighting blind, but with more men at risk now thanks to my Padawan here. Wonderful."

"You know I'm only trying to save your life!" I snapped, unable to keep the hurt in my voice from showing. I hadn't expected a warm welcome... but I hadn't really expected this. Although what could I expect, really?

He only shook his head.

"There is so much that you don't know, Ahsoka. I give you orders because I do know. I've lived it. You can't just make rash decisions like this. It's war. Sacrifices must be made."

I knew I must look defiant, but I didn't care.

"I only learn from your example. Are saying that you wouldn't do the same? You wouldn't do whatever you had to, to get me back?"

"No, I'm not saying that, Ahsoka. But these are soldiers. You cannot make their choices for them. If you feel that you must do something this risky, even after I have forbidden it, that is your decision, and you alone will face the consequences of your actions. You can't endanger these men's lives because of your desire to make sure that I stay alive." He looked as if it pained him to say these words, but he said them steadily, without reserve.

Rex cut in.

"General, with all due respect, however risky and stupid it is to go in blind, I know that any number of these men would willingly risk their lives in a relief effort for you. You are their General."

Thank you, Rex. I could have hugged him. Almost. Although I flinched at his use of the word 'stupid.' He didn't have to be that blunt about it, did he?

"Besides, the higher number of men we have, the higher the chance of victory." I said, trying to be optimistic.

"Or the higher the number of casualties." I heard Anakin mutter under his breath, as he put his head in his hands in exasperation. I preferred to think he did this because of the situation we had, not because of me. Unfortunately, I knew him much better than that. I was going to be in such big trouble with him if we made it through this alive. Although if that happened, I'd probably be much too relieved to even care.

"Sir!" a clone trooper ran up to my master and saluted crisply.

"Sir, the enemy's numbers have been estimated at over 2,500. They are approaching, and will arrive at this point in approximately .15 kliks. We have barely three-fourths of their numbers, if that much. Orders?"

I cringed in spite of myself. 2,500 battle droids was... a lot. But if one clone could take two battle droids, we'd come out on top.

"Prepare for battle." Anakin said, straightening himself up abruptly. "A long, bloody battle. The citizens of this planet deserve liberation from the Seps, and we haven't lost yet. Have you informed Lieutenant Kraik of the situation yet?"

"Was just about to do that, sir."

"Thank you, Dix." Anakin said, nodding a dismissal.

The trooper saluted, and rushed to relay the news to Kraik.

"Will you be giving an official briefing, sir?" Rex asked. I had been wondering that myself.

Anakin shook his head listlessly.

"A briefing would be pointless. We know nothing. I'll be relaying orders to officers as I make them up."

Typical Anakin Skywalker response. But really, it was the only option. We only knew their numbers... not their battle tactics. We actually didn't know much of _anything_.

As much as I didn't like to admit it, things were not looking so good for us.


End file.
